First Communion Outfit Donation

PATERSON ﻿﻿One of the most important events in a young Cath­olic’s life is his or her First Holy Communion. To go along with this special occasion of receiving Jesus for the first time in the Eucharist, girls wear a pretty new white dress or and boys wear a new blue or white suit with a tie.

While First Communion outfits are sometimes passed down to younger siblings in families, others are kept for sentimental value but often get forgotten and are buried deep in a closet where they collect dust. For this reason some parishes have decided to host collections of First Com­mun­ion outfits and donate them to those less fortunate.

At the Father English Center here, as First Holy Communion celebrations have already happened across parishes in the Paterson Diocese, its clothing boutique is welcoming donations of these pretty dresses and handsome suits, usually worn once because a child outgrows them or there isn’t another occasion to wear them. In addition, accessories such as shoes and First Communion veils are also accepted.

Carlos Roldan, director of the food pantry and clothing boutique at Father English, a Diocesan Catholic Charities agency, said, “We have some moms asking us for First Communion outfits since they are expensive and they just don’t have the money to buy them. It’s tough because for a child to receive First Communion, it shouldn’t be considered a financial burden, but one of the most joyful days in the life of a child and their families.”

Two parishes that have collected dresses and suits are Our Lady of Consolation in Wayne and Our Lady of the Holy Angels in Little Falls, which held collections recently for the Father English Center.

Early in the year, a mother, Patricia DiToro from Our Lady of Consolation, inquired at the Religious Education office at her parish if there was a need for a First Communion dress worn by her daughter, Debra Dericks, who coordinates religious education, attempted to find a local family, but received no response. She then thought about the Father English Center and the agency gladly accepted the dress. From there, the parish held a drive collecting about a dozen dresses and one suit during the month of March.

“The collection served an important purpose, it allowed families to find a place for these outfits, which have sentimental value, be used for a child receiving their First Communion, whose family couldn’t afford it,” said Dericks. “We hope next year to continue this collection.”

At Holy Angels, the parish had similar results with the collection, placing an announcement in its weekly bulletin stating: “Please help to make the First Holy Com­munion of a child even happier by donating gently used First Holy Com­munion dresses and suits.”

The collection allows children and their families to not worry about an outfit and focus on the Sacrament. In fact, some families have considered delaying their child’s reception of the Sacrament of First Holy Communion because they can’t afford a dress or suit.

Roldan noted the agency usually receives more dresses than suits and hopes families are able to donate First Communion suits for boys as well. “This is something that would be great if we can get on a regular basis especially for next spring when First Communion comes around again. God bless everyone that wants to be a part of this project.”

[To donate a gently used First Communion outfit, email Carlos Roldan at croldan@catholicharities.org.]